The council rejected its use for crowd control Tuesday, but agreed to modify its ban and expand police powers to use it. The council warned officers not to use the pepper spray as a crowd-control technique but to use it instead for individuals who are committing violent acts upon others or officers.

Currently, Berkeley officers carry a can of pepper spray but have said they would need a bigger canister if necessary.

Dozens of people lined up at City Hall to oppose arming Berkeley police with the larger canister of pepper spray, saying it was too easy for officers to use and has the potential to be used on peaceful protesters.

Some cities nationwide have banned pepper spray after several high-profile incidents of police using it on peaceful protesters. One of the most noteworthy incidents was when students at the University of California, Davis, were pepper sprayed during a peaceful demonstration in 2011. The incident led to a $1 million legal settlement for the protesters.

Last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that the college paid $175,000 to consultants to “clean up its image” online.